(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
The Ravens might be the best 3-and-3 team in the NFL right now.
During their current three game skid, Baltimore has lost by a combined total of 11 points. Somehow they're finding ways to lose games with only seconds left- but don't blame the offense this time.
As a Ravens fan, it would have been gratifying to finally see Baltimore put an opponent away on a game-winning drive, instead of our defense losing the game in the final seconds.
It almost happened as Baltimore fell to Minnesota 31-33 on Sunday.
For once, the Ravens were in charge of their own destiny, as Joe Flacco engineered a brilliant drive down to the Minnesota 26 yard-line with two seconds to spare. The game fell on the young shoulders of place-kicker Steve Hauschka, who couldn't connect on what would have been the game winning field goal.
Hauschka has been under scrutiny in Baltimore for his lack of accuracy and inconsistency. Missing the winning kick only makes this loss hurt more, on a day the Baltimore offense did everything they could to help win the game.
There's a lot of work that needs to be done during this two week stretch.
It's surprising that John Harbaugh, a former special teams coach, doesn't seem to be worried about the place-kicking situation in Baltimore. Hauschka has yet to prove himself as a big-time NFL kicker that can come through in clutch situations. I'm sure the Ravens wish they had Matt Stover on the field today.The organization ended up releasing Stover after failing to come in agreement on a short-term contract to allow him to retire in Baltimore.
The Ravens can bounce back and be a strong contender after the bye week, if they can only do the following:
On offense: Change nothing! Allow Flacco access to the entire playbook and cut him loose, which Cam Cameron has been doing fairly well. I'm surprised he's not mentioned when it comes to the top coordinators in the NFL this year.
On defense: The secondary (not surprisingly) needs a gut check. Baltimore needs to allot playing time to individuals who are stepping up and making the big plays this year.
Frank Walker seems to get burnt on most deep balls he defends, and often draws defensive pass interference penalties.
Rotating players in the secondary and changing defensive philosophy during this bye week might help Baltimore's secondary to tighten up their coverage on opposing receivers.
Also, rushing fewer men and disguising blitzes will allow the defense to drop more players into coverage. Rex Ryan was the master at doing this, which is why Baltimore misses him more than they allude to.
On special teams: Jerry Rosburg has his hands full with a developing group on special teams. He needs to work with Hauschka on long range accuracy and pressure situations.
Since the free agent pool is dried up when it comes to seasoned place-kickers, lots of one-on-one time will have to be spent developing the young kicker.
Rosburg also needs to address some field position issues, due to a lack of having a "go to guy" returning kicks.
In final, Baltimore enters a tough stretch in their schedule after this bye.
Being the owner of a 3-and-3 record isn't where the Ravens wanted to be at this point in the season. Losing three straight games by a total of 11 points hurts; but John Harbaugh and the Ravens must find a way to win close games, and put opponents away when they have the lead.
By making some slight adjustments on both sides of the ball, I believe Baltimore can make a run at the playoffs with the great coaching and player personnel they possess.
After all, the entire AFC North is up for grabs!
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